HBA-MPA H.B. 2248 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2248
By: Hawley
Transportation
4/4/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Transportation Code requires social service and public
transportation providers to coordinate transportation services for health
and human services clients, and requires the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) to consider and include the health and human service
clients when performing public transportation planning and funding
activities.  The code also establishes a process to inventory social
service contracting opportunities, requiring TxDOT to forward a list of
Federal Transit Administration grantees to each state agency that offers
social services under the Health and Safety Code, the Human Resource Code,
and the Labor Code.  These agencies then forward the TxDOT information to
their field offices and contractors who in turn furnish the appropriate
local transit organization with an inventory of contract and in-house
capital resources. Transportation needed for social services can then be
coordinated in each service area.  Coordination in assimilating the
required information is needed to improve the services delivered to health
and human services clients.  H.B. 2248 requires TxDOT to establish a
statewide database to collect information to enhance coordination between
public transportation providers, TxDOT, and clients of social services
agencies.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 459.003, Transportation Code, by amending
Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e), as follows: 

Sec. 459.003.  INVENTORY OF CURRENT CONTRACTS.  (c) Requires each state
agency that provides social services under the Health and Safety Code,
Human Resource Code, or the Labor Code to provide, no later than January 1
of each year, a copy of the report required by this section to the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in addition to the transportation
provider. 

(e) Provides that TxDOT compile a statewide database to document
transportation expenses and track the number of instances in which social
service contract dollars are actually awarded to a transit operator as a
result of compliance with this section. 

SECTION 2.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.